This is a difficult time of year for many parents, as their children prepare to enter university, with all the costs this entails.
Some parents may have decided against sending their children to university, in the belief that it is simply too expensive.
Recent news reports certainly won't have helped matters, with many papers running big stories about how even state universities are now charging tens and even hundreds of million rupiah in entrance fees.
Some reports have made startling claims, along the lines of, "If you don't have at least Rp 25 million, don't even try to send your child to state university."
The general perception now is that state universities are no longer for the poor. This belief emerged after the government transformed many state universities into financially independent institutions.
Many people, including educational experts and activists, have joined forces to protest the transformation of state universities into independent institutions that pass on the cost of education to students.
We do not agree with these people, and we do not buy the argument that studying at university must be free or even cheap.
Unlike basic education, higher education is not a right for all Indonesian citizens. It is the privilege of those who can afford it financially and those who have the educational aptitude.
In the past, during the New Order administration especially, the state heavily subsidized higher education so all students passing the entrance exam could afford the cost of studying at university.
The problem with such a blanket subsidy is that it created injustice, in the sense that those students who drove a luxury car were charged exactly the same fee as students from lower income families.
We prefer the current system, where state universities charge different fees to students who pass the entrance exams, with the rich paying more and the poor paying nothing.
Most state universities, including University of Indonesia in Jakarta and Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, have adopted a cross-subsidy system.
At University of Indonesia, the entrance fee for those passing the national entrance exam ranges from zero to Rp 25 million. Tuition ranges from as low as Rp 100,000 to as high as Rp 7.5 million per semester.
In 2007, 43 percent of students entering the School of Engineering at the university paid an entrance fee of less than the Rp 25 million. Some paid nothing.
In addition, the university cooperates with various philanthropic organizations to provide scholarships for high-achieving students, especially those from low-income families. Each year, students receive about Rp 20 billion total in scholarships.
So, the claim that studying at state university is beyond the financial reach of most is not true, thanks to the cross-subsidy system and philanthropic activities that have helped students from poor families.
What we need to do is promote philanthropic activities among wealthy individuals and big corporations in Indonesia, and channel the funds to education.
Some superwealthy individuals have established philanthropic foundations that focus on education, and, interestingly, some religious-based foundations have also begun to channel funds to education, including through scholarships.
But it is not enough. Much more is needed to support the millions of students in this country.
Another challenge for our higher education is quality. Yes, there are numerous universities across the country, but their quality varies. In the end, we just don't have enough good-quality universities.
This problem is even more pronounced with private universities, which is why it is hardly surprising that good-quality private universities charge exorbitant fees to their students.
Improving the quality of private universities is certainly not an easy task, and it will mean higher costs.
To improve the quality to higher education in the country, we would suggest the government open the sector to foreign participation and invite top overseas universities to open branches in Indonesia.
Several neighboring countries have welcomed in foreign universities, and many parents in Indonesia send their children to these universities.
Allowing in foreign universities would quickly add quality to our higher education and at the same time attract wealthy parents who otherwise would send their children overseas.
We must not forget that demand for quality higher education is growing as more and more people see their incomes rise. At the same time, we need to ensure access to quality higher education for qualified students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
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